A Suffolk woman was threatened with a gun and a screwdriver as violent robbers barged their way into her home.

The victim, aged in her 60s, has been left shaken but unharmed after her property in Ramsey Road, Hadleigh was raided on Saturday night.

Detective Inspector Steve Corbett, of Suffolk Constabulary, described the ordeal as “terrifying”.

The woman received a call at the front door around 7pm and she attempted to look out of the window to see who it was, but it was took dark.

She called out asking who was there and received a reply from what sounded like a female voice saying ‘Jackie’.

When the victim opened the door she found a boy outside who she believed to be 13 or 14 years old.

While she was talking to him and asking what he wanted, two other males appeared, initially claiming to be police officers, before pushing the victim back through the door and forcing their way into the house.

One of the men was holding what appeared to be a pistol in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. They demanded money and began searching the house, while the teenage boy acted as a lookout.

All three left the house about 15-20 minutes after they arrived, stealing jewellery. They made further threats to the victim as they went, telling her not to leave the house.

The homeowner raised the alarm about 10 minutes later once she felt certain they were gone and police were on scene within minutes and searched the area but the offenders were not located.

The teenager is described as being around 5ft 2in tall, skinny, and wearing a baseball cap, a hooded top with the hood up, a grey jacket and gloves. He spoke with a British accent.

The suspect who carried the weapons is thought to be aged 18-21, between 5ft 9in and 6ft tall, and of large build. He was wearing a baseball cap, a mask across the lower part of his face, black trousers and gloves. The man spoke in English and had a foreign language.

The third robber was dressed all in black and was wearing a mask with just his eyes showing. He is believed to be between 20-27 years old, 5ft 3in to 5ft 5in tall, skinny and with black hair. He spoke only in a foreign language.

Mr Corbett said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for the victim and although she took reasonable measures before answering the door, I want to take the opportunity to remind people to ‘lock, stop, chain, check’, before answering the door to unexpected callers, especially at night time.

“Use a door chain if you have one, or do not open the door at all if you are unsure who the caller is. A police officer, or any official from a public authority or utility company, will always present themselves properly and show identification. These types of incident are rare in Suffolk, but it is important to remain vigilant.

“I am appealing to any witnesses who saw any suspicious persons or vehicles in the vicinity of Ramsey Road, either prior to the incident or immediately after it, to contact us without delay.”

Police are also appealing for anyone in the area with CCTV outside their property, or who may have been driving through at the time of the incident and has a dash cam in their vehicle, to make contact.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 7951/18, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.